


crush and blush

by dashirun



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Sexual Tension, jaehyun really has the hots for taeyong basically, like honest to god hot under the collar on SIGHT
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 03:15:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17779547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dashirun/pseuds/dashirun
Summary: Jaehyun can't tell if Taeyong looks especially good today or if the pink paper hearts Mark hung from the ceiling make it hard not to see everything in that same rosy glow.alternatively, an exercise in latte runs, infatuation, and daydreams





	crush and blush

**Author's Note:**

> got the valentine boy on my mind today of course
> 
> song to accompany your readings is Curve (곡선) by Sunmi :3

Taeyong is fond of him.

It’s a known fact. You can see it in the way he twists his hair in pink rings around his fingers, how he studies the floor tiles - a mosaic of violent blues and wild violets - at the café as if he’s actually thinking about what to order, the way he always stops to blow smoke rings outside the bay windows, rain or shine.

So Taeyong is fond of him, it’s a fact known to everyone. What Jaehyun doesn’t know is just what to do about it.

It’s not that he hasn’t thought about it. Really, it’s kind of all he thinks about whenever he has to look into the man’s eyes (blue today, _God_ he really has a penchant for those contacts). Front of the line, gnawing on his bottom lip until Jaehyun can’t tell if they’re red from his cherry lip tint or just from him troubling away at them. Jaehyun already knows he’ll step up, look down immediately as if thinking until some impatient fuck behind him starts grumbling about him holding up the line, at which point he’ll look up and order an iced Americano (for his friend, whom Jaehyun has yet to see in his shop) and a medium latte - skim milk, extra foam - for himself. 

Jaehyun’s scared to admit he looks forward to it. Those few seconds when Taeyong’s standing before him with his head bowed. It’s their secret time to themselves. Taeyong’s to make it known that beneath that broken glass exterior, he feels soft in this moment, timid and vulnerable under Jaehyun’s gaze. Jaehyun’s time to ponder the man’s lips. 

To think about the pure redness of them, the tilt of his smile when he laughs, the flashing of teeth, the little O his lips would form, the gasp of ecstasy, the stuttering of his hips, his teeth in Jaehyun’s neck, his hands over everything, his back arching, chest pressed into this very countertop, if only, if only, if only -

Then he looks up and catches Taeyong’s gaze, a shy curving of his lips and pupils blown wide in the morning light. Blood rushes in little pinpricks to the surface of Jaehyun’s skin and in that moment, it isn’t embarrassment that brings the flush to his cheeks.

In that moment.

But then he’s turning to send the order over to Mark even though he knows Mark is already halfway done with it by now, and Taeyong is giving him a tiny wave and moving to the end of the counter and the next guy’s already spitting out his order at Jaehyun before he’s had the chance to turn around. The moment passes.

Jaehyun’s still trying not to think about Taeyong’s nails digging into the dip of his lower back as they crash together like opposing currents, bounding into the great sea.

He doesn’t date customers. It’s his only rule, the only tip Taeil gave him when he decided to open his own café instead of bouncing between Starbucks franchises for the rest of his life. 

Jaehyun wants to throw that out the window every time he so much as sees Taeyong’s reflection in the moon-shaped mirror hanging on the north wall. Then he wants to press Taeyong against that window, whisper sweet nothings in his ear for hours upon hours.

He shakes his head, tries to clear his mind of fantasy like its lake water. 

Closing time always comes, always tosses Jaehyun back into reality as soon as he hangs his apron up in the back room. The long walk home, the quiet contemplation in his lonely apartment, the sleepless night and the return to coffee carafes and burnt fingers and dry throats the next morning. 

Tonight is no different, except for the tiny pink and red heart-shaped sequins cascading off his uniform when he packs it up and somehow sticking to the lining of his jeans pockets – a remnant of Mark’s unbridled quest to decorate the shop for each and every holiday despite Jaehyun’s protests. Jaehyun shakes his hands and watches more sequins fall to the ground, but his palms still shimmer with baby pink glitter as he pulls on his coat to leave.

Jaehyun is rounding the corner outside the café, ready to walk into the night shadows when instead he hits a patch of moonlight filtering through. He looks up and there’s Taeyong, lips parted and dragon’s breath filtering into the cold air as he looks at Jaehyun like he’s a minute away from having been left waiting too long. Jaehyun looks back at him wordlessly but he doesn’t have to wait long for Taeyong to speak.

“Do you ever think of me?” Taeyong asks. Jaehyun still says nothing, brow furrowing at this. Like he’s hearing sound but his mind can’t keep up with the meaning. Taeyong tries again. “God, that came out... more direct than I intended. I’m sorry to bother you, it’s just Mark told me it’s your birthday tomorrow – I mean, it would be, of course you’re a Valentine’s baby - but you’re still coming to work and I wondered if maybe you wanted to, I don’t know, do something with me instead? Look, I think of you. A lot. Every morning, when I’m ordering, but after that too. I... I’m sorry if this is forward, I just thought maybe -“

Jaehyun is already surging forward before Taeyong can finish, already leaning in until Taeyong tilts his head back with a surprised gasp, but his lips stay parted even as Jaehyun brings his own closer.

The kiss is strawberry sweet, less like the cherry he’d imagined, more like candy and cigarettes. Jaehyun wants to reach in and explore, learn more truths about the man in his arms. Taeyong kisses back, hands twined in Jaehyun’s hair one second and running down his chest, his hips, back up again the next. All soft caresses and sharp bite, roughness ebbing and crashing back in like waves in the coming tide. The bricks of a nearby wall pressing into his back, the cold air blowing into his open jacket, Taeyong’s arms around him, his heat against him, the soft mewls falling from his mouth.

“Wait,” Taeyong says and Jaehyun pauses, his lips hovering over Taeyong’s until he pulls away. Taeyong fishes his phone out of his jacket pocket, checks the screen before turning to Jaehyun with a wide mouthed grin. “It’s midnight. Happy birthday, Jaehyun.”

Jaehyun smiles back, let’s his lips ghost over Taeyong’s skin before he presses a chaste kiss to his cheek. He lets their foreheads come together, holds them there for a second before taking Taeyong’s hand in his. 

“Thanks,” Jaehyun says. 

“What do you want to do to celebrate?” Taeyong asks, lids heavy and a crooked smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. 

Jaehyun wonders if this is a dream - if he’s behind the counter watching Taeyong pretend to consider a different drink from his usual in line, if his mind is racing to new and impossible places. If he’s going to look up and see the dream break, drown in front of him like tea leaves leaving omens in chipped china cups. If he’ll wake up tomorrow, purple and red in his bed, or if he’s imagined the burning kisses he’d finally, finally pressed into Taeyong’s neck. If he’s really going to live out the taste of Taeyong against his tongue, his heat wrapped around him, hips refracted in the moonlight and thighs bruised under his hands. If only, if only, if only.

Jaehyun leans forward again, lips tracing a path from Taeyong’s collarbones to the shell of his ear, and whispers, “You.”

**Author's Note:**

> for my ~sweet birthday baby~ 
> 
> several side notes, first, watch Russian Doll on netflix bc im def making ari co-write an AU for it with me one day, second,
> 
> this was written on a whim on my commute at the beginning of the month and was originally intended to be part of a project of mine called february boys - which would've been one birthday fic per february birthday in NCT except life (my MA thesis) hit me hard (was put off too long and I want to graduate this semester PLEASE) so I have several half finished drafts for everyone else and I've already missed 3 of their birthdays . SO the question stands... should I say fuck it and post everyone's birthday fics late? Should I save the february boys project for next year? Let me know! Comments are appreciated, I always read them all!!
> 
> I'm also on twitter! Come talk to me @noodlesehun or leave me a message in my cc


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